2024-25 NCAA Basketball Thread

[Juan Anderson's Mixtape]

Brian Barone takes SIU Edwardsville to their first NCAA tourney. A great story of resilience and redemption.

Glad Brian is finding success. Coincidentally, he replaced another former MU player at SIUE: Jon Harris.

Brian's dad, the late Tony Barone, was a pretty good coach in his own right.  Lead Creighton to two MVC title sweeps in 1989 and 1991, coached at TAMU, and later coached for the Memphis Grizzlies as an assistant, before being promoted to head coach to finish out the 2006-07 season.

[MuggsyB]

Michigan State is a better version of St.John's. 

[DoctorV]

Michigan State is a better version of St.John's. 

How is 26-5, 17-3 in the B10 Tom Izzo not a 1 seed?

How is 27-4, 18-3 in the BE Rick Pitino not a 1 seed?

Those two resumes in nearly ANY season get you a 1 seed, possibly the overall 1.
This season? A back end 2 seed.

Goes to show you how much the computers and data are affecting things.

SEC has an amazing OOC so they were always destined to get two 1 seeds, and a ton of top 4/5 seeds. Then Duke and Houston just pummel the competition in their conferences and the metrics lock them in as 1 seeds.

You're left with 2 legendary coaches having amazing seasons but landing on the 2 line.

Should be a fun tournament this year

[cheebs09]

The Big East isn't very strong this year.

[MuggsyB]

How is 26-5, 17-3 in the B10 Tom Izzo not a 1 seed?

How is 27-4, 18-3 in the BE Rick Pitino not a 1 seed?

Those two resumes in nearly ANY season get you a 1 seed, possibly the overall 1.
This season? A back end 2 seed.

Goes to show you how much the computers and data are affecting things.

SEC has an amazing OOC so they were always destined to get two 1 seeds, and a ton of top 4/5 seeds. Then Duke and Houston just pummel the competition in their conferences and the metrics lock them in as 1 seeds.

You're left with 2 legendary coaches having amazing seasons but landing on the 2 line.

Should be a fun tournament this year

The BEast and B18 are down this year.  But maybe we're overrating the middle of the SEC?  I dunno. 

[HutchwasClutch]

Hope Wardle and Bradley win today and then get placed in Milwaukee. 

[HutchwasClutch]

Glad Brian is finding success. Coincidentally, he replaced another former MU player at SIUE: Jon Harris.

Brian's dad, the late Tony Barone, was a pretty good coach in his own right.  Lead Creighton to two MVC title sweeps in 1989 and 1991, coached at TAMU, and later coached for the Memphis Grizzlies as an assistant, before being promoted to head coach to finish out the 2006-07 season.

I believe Tony Barone was a candidate when Dukiet was hired.  May have interviewed. 

[The Sultan]

Biggest game of the year has tipped off! Go Bradley Beat Drake!

[Billy Hoyle]

Hope Wardle and Bradley win today and then get placed in Milwaukee. 

MU connections for both:

Wardle and Bargan for Bradley.

Drake AD Brian Hardin is a former MU track SA and Deputy AD.

Drake jas esrned an at-laege if they lose, IMO.

[The Sultan]

Bradley takes so many mid-range shots! I'm tearing up watching this...

[MuggsyB]

So much for Nebraska being a tournament team. 

[MuggsyB]

Go through the expected protected seeds and where you would expect them to play in the first round and tell me who the protected seeds in Milwaukee should be.

Despite your slobbering all over them, Whisky is 2-6 vs the top 8 in the B18.  They had a nice win at Purdue and played about as well as one can that game.  But if you look deeper they haven't been particularly impressive. 

[willie warrior]

Michigan State is a better version of St.John's. 

Yes they are

[MuggsyB]

Bradley is in trouble. 

[Shaka Shart]

DraftKings just allowed me to bet one of PGHeroes index fingers?!

[MarquetteMike1977]

Bradley is in trouble. 

Agree Bradley has been stuck on 27 points for a long time. Hoping for a come back for the Fighting Wardles.

[HutchwasClutch]

Bradley is in trouble. 

Yeah, they look overmatched mostly

[MuggsyB]

How good is High Point?

[HutchwasClutch]

Agree Bradley has been stuck on 27 points for a long time. Hoping for a come back for the Fighting Wardles.

They're hanging around. Rebounding is a problem for Bradley

[wisblue]

Despite your slobbering all over them, Whisky is 2-6 vs the top 8 in the B18.  They had a nice win at Purdue and played about as well as one can that game.  But if you look deeper they haven't been particularly impressive. 

Just like I have not said that Xavier is an unbeatable juggernaut, I have not been "slobbering all over" the Badgers. Resorting to that kind of hyperbole doesn't make your points more credible.

I have simply recognized that they had played very well, and that was reflected in the NCAA reveal and in subsequent brackets that projected them as a 2 or 3 seed playing in Milwaukee. They were generally between 8 and 10 on most seed lists as recently as last week, and a loss to Penn State (a team with an NET in the low 60's) isn't by itself going to drop them all the way to a 5 seed. But it could open the door for some teams to vault over them. 

UW's recent losses might have put what looked like a sure thing into question. If teams like Kentucky, Iowa State, and/or Maryland  move ahead of UW on the seed list, those teams could land the spots in Milwaukee before the Badgers get their turn, even if they get a 4 seed.

[wisblue]

So much for Nebraska being a tournament team. 

That ship sailed before today.

Now they don't even get a chance for a miracle conference tournament run.

[HutchwasClutch]

The Big East isn't very strong this year.

Not at all.

[MuggsyB]

That ship sailed before today.

Now they don't even get a chance for a miracle conference tournament run.

Someone here called them a tourney team. 

[MuggsyB]

Wardle looks extremely upset. 

[The Sultan]

Think Bradley got screwed there and now this thing is over.